Celtic star upholds 'standards' during pre-season training camp as Parkhead exit rumours take a back seat
Club icon has broken silence since exit rumours
Celtic captain Callum McGregor has spoke to the club for the first time since rumours emerged that he could be leaving the club for Saudi Arabia - however his interview with CelticPlayer gave no indication he’ll be departing in the near future.
The 33-year old instead talked about upholding ‘standards’ for the season ahead as the Hoops look to win their sixth title in a row. McGregor had been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League after switching his agent to Unique Sports Group, the same agency who represent former boss Brendan Rodgers, who left the club for Al-Qadsiah in December.
Despite this, the midfielder appears to be committed to the club and is raring to go. McGregor is nearing 600 career appearances for the Hoops and would surpass legend Scott Brown on the list of most decorated Celtic players if they win any silverware this season. He spoke to the club at their warm weather training camp in Portugal.
McGregor talks ‘standards’ ahead of upcoming campaign
The captain believes it’s his duty to lead by example during pre-season preparations. He said: “I’ve had quite a few pre-seasons now but it's always good to come away and concentrate and get the work in and get things moving. A lot of the time what carries us through is the standards and I always try to say that to the players – it’s what we hold ourselves accountable for.
“There are obviously a lot of variables in football but the one thing that we can do when we cross the white line as players is hold each other accountable to the highest standard that we possibly can and I believe if we do that enough times then generally that's what builds successful teams. The work rate and the application of the players has been first-class, even the young ones as well coming up, some really good ones in there, getting to the level of what's required. So, all in all it's been a positive training camp.”
Celtic’s Portuguese trip designed to ‘test’ their character
The Hoops’ season will officially get underway at Parkhead against Dundee on August 3. McGregor believes that the training camp will help his side’s resilience going into the 2026/27 campaign. He continued: “I've pretty much said it in every pre-season trip I've been on that at some point in the season we will be tested, the character will be tested and the team will be tested in that sense.
“So it's how we react and deal with pressure and deal with setbacks. A lot of the work that you do in pre-season when you're tired, when the sessions are long, it's finding that mental strength to get through it, and that's what will carry us through difficult moments throughout the season.”
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